England confirm tour to South Africa

England men's tour of South Africa has been confirmed with three T20Is and three ODIs taking place behind closed doors in Cape Town and Paarl from next month.

The three-match ODI series will be played as part of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League, which England currently top with 30 points from six games. This series will be South Africa's first in the tournament, which forms the first part of the qualification pathway for the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.

Eoin Morgan's squad, which will be named in early November, will head out on a chartered flight on 16 November, training at Western Province Cricket Club ahead of the three T20Is. During this time, they expect to play three intra-squad practice matches – two T20s and one 50-over game.

In a press statement, ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison thanked Cricket South Africa (CSA) for making the tour possible, as well as making clear that he expects the series will be a highly-entertaining affair.

"I would like to personally thank Cricket South Africa for their efforts in ensuring this tour goes ahead and their diligent work to create an environment that is safe for our players and staff," Harrison said. "They are working tirelessly to pull together a bio-secure plan in Cape Town and Paarl. We owe it to the sport that we do everything we can to keep international competition progressing during this pandemic.

"Series against the Proteas are always exciting and intense. We saw that earlier this year in South Africa and we can expect the same this time around."

CSA Acting Chief Executive Kugandrie Govender was also full of anticipation for the series, suggesting that the chance to topple the reigning Cricket World Cup champions offered added motivation for the hosts.

"This is a wonderful boost for cricket," Govender said. "The fact that England are the current World Cup champions will add tremendously to the two series and will give our own players every motivation to perform at their very best and challenge the acknowledged champions."

He also acknowledged the benefit of being able to draw from England's recent experience in hosting bio-secure international cricket, adding: "We are also very grateful to the England and Wales Cricket Board for the support they have given us in many areas and we will be able to draw on their own experiences and help in organising and running international cricket under bio-secure conditions.

"This is a first for us and we commit to learn quickly and with great responsiveness, as we have an action-packed international season ahead of us."_Agencies